How to Make Pumpkin Puree

How to Make Pumpkin Puree. As convenient as it is to go pick up a can of pumpkin at the store, there is great satisfaction in making your own.

And if you’re not into having the largest pumpkins in the neighborhood, you can just buy cute little sugar pumpkins a week before Halloween, carve them, and then bake to make your puree. Less waste. More satisfaction. Yay team!

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

Use pie or sugar pumpkins.

Cut the pumpkin into halves, quarters, or large dice. The smaller you cut the pumpkin, the less time it will need to roast. The time and temp I have listed here is great for halves of Jack-Be-Little pumpkins or quartered Sugar Pumpkins.

Note: If using Jack-Be-Littles in recipes, you’ll want to add extra sugar for sweet recipes as they are less sweet than Sugar pumpkins.

Remove the stringy insides and the seeds. Separate seeds and save for sugared pumpkin seeds. Stringy pumpkin guts can go in the garbage or compost pile.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper or brush with olive oil. Lay with the outer skin side down on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes or until pumpkin is soft.

Remove the pumpkin from the skin.

Place the pumpkin into a food processor and pulse until pureed.

How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Preserve in an airtight container or, better yet, freezer bags in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use for a gorgeous pumpkin pie or whatever your little heart desires. I recommend measuring it into half or one cup portions so it is easy to grab and use for your recipes. If you’d like to get very technical, you can measure portions into 15 ounces each since that’s the most common pumpkin pie-making ingredient amount.